Page 67 of Secret Baby for the Mafia Don
“But you went with it.” Marco’s expression is impassive, but I think I see hurt in his eyes. “And because you did, the FBI reached out to you, just like they did with Isabella.”
“What they didn’t count on is just how close Marco and your father are. Or maybe they hoped with Antonio’s declining health, they could create a wedge between them.”
I sit back and consider all that. “Could the FBI be behind all this?”
Roman shrugs as he brushes crumbs from his tie. “I couldn’t say whether they’re the mastermind, but they’re definitely involved.”
“We don’t know if someone is using the FBI in their plan or not,” Marco clarifies. “What we know is that they’re close enough to us that they know your father’s mind is going and they know you think I’m trying to take over his business.”
“Okay. So… what do we do?”
Marco arches a brow. “You don’t do anything except keep going through your papers. Maybe there’s a legal angle we can exploit.”
“Oh, gee, Marco, how disappointing. I wanted to become all macho and carry a gun and?—”
Roman snorts but quickly covers it when Marco shoots him a glare.
“I was speaking in the general “we”, not you and me. I know there is no you and me.”
Roman clears his throat. “We’re sure the Calabresi family is clean of rats, but I can’t speak for the other families. The moment I start asking questions about Vitale or Ferraza operations, alarms go off."
“I thought you had a close bond?”
“Those bonds fray if one family investigates another family. Dom and Leo are aware of some of this, but not about your father’s health.”
“They suspect, though,” I say. “Elena and Isabella suggested they did.”
“It’s time to meet with them and see what they can do to cull out possible traitors in their families.” Marco scrapes his hands over his face.
For the first time, I truly see what this past year has cost him. The isolation, the burden of protecting my father while keeping his secret.
And all that time, I accused him of betrayal.
"Frank might be able to help," I say. "He's been with my father for decades. The men trust him. He could look into things without raising suspicion."
Marco considers this. “He has been around longer than you and me, Roman. He’s loyal to Antonio. It’s a good idea. We need to clear it with Antonio, of course.”
"I can coordinate with him," I offer, leaning forward. "He already knows I'm concerned about my father." I don’t share that he has concerns about Marco’s intentions.
I can talk to Frank and let him know that I was wrong about Marco.
“Roman needs to be involved.”
I try to keep my disappointment from showing.
“Roman is already spending time around Antonio’s business, so they know him and with Frank’s help, the two of them can assess whether anyone is betraying the family.”
It makes sense.
“But there could be paperwork, doctored ledgers… texts… You could work through those.”
I blink. Did he just assign me a task?
Marco’s including me in his operation to expose a traitor fills me with warmth.
I try not to gush or appear overly excited about it. “Of course.”
“I’ll connect with Frank.” Roman stands. “Let him know to get in touch with you,” he says to me. “I have a meeting with Danielli and Po.”
